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Gluten-free, yes. But...
This week's Resolution Recipe: Polenta-Pistachio Cake.
200 g pistachio kernels, finely ground
zest and juice of 1 orange
200 g polenta
4 eggses
150 g honey
200 ml olive oil
syrup and decoration:
zest and juice of 1 more orange
75 g honey
50 g pistachio kernels, roughly chopped
Heat the oven to 400° F. Grease a 10" springform tin with oil, and line the base with baking paper.
In a large bowl, mix the ground pistachios, orange zest, and polenta together. Crack the eggses into another bowl and whisk in the honey, orange juice, and olive oil until smooth. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and thoroughly combine to a smooth batter, then pour the batter into the prepared tin. Bake the cake for 40 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean, then remove the cake from the oven and transfer it to a wire rack to cool in the tin. Once the cake is cool, release it from the tin and transfer it to a large plate.
To make the syrup, stir the orange juice and honey together in a small saucepan. Place the pan over a medium-low heat and bring the ingredients to a simmer, stirring to fully combine. Immediately remove the syrup from the heat. Using a fine skewer, prick a few holes into the top of the cake and pour the honey-orange syrup over the top. Sprinkle on the orange zest and nuts to decorate.
What worked: It was... okay. Quite filling, which makes sense with the polenta and nuts. It went well with tea.
What didn't: The recipe said the cake would be "syrupy and nutty, moist and juicy." I expected an almost pudding-like texture (judging from past olive oil cakes) with a baklava-like sweetness - but it was definitely not that. Of the four adjectives I can say it was, indeed, nutty. Not syrupy, or moist, or juicy at all; it was somewhat dry, exacerbated by the crunchy polenta. The cake was overly-browned at the end of its baking time but at least didn't taste scorched (except a couple edge bits).
Will I make it again? No. I would recommend using pistachio flour (if such a thing exists) and a very fine grind of polenta for less crunch. But while it wasn't a totally failed cake, I wouldn't call it a successful recipe.
I subsequently made the successful olive oil cake as compensation, and it was good as usual, although I still didn't get much orange flavor. The wife suggested very lightly sprinkling the top with ascorbic acid for zing - not a bad idea.
200 g pistachio kernels, finely ground
zest and juice of 1 orange
200 g polenta
4 eggses
150 g honey
200 ml olive oil
syrup and decoration:
zest and juice of 1 more orange
75 g honey
50 g pistachio kernels, roughly chopped
Heat the oven to 400° F. Grease a 10" springform tin with oil, and line the base with baking paper.
In a large bowl, mix the ground pistachios, orange zest, and polenta together. Crack the eggses into another bowl and whisk in the honey, orange juice, and olive oil until smooth. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and thoroughly combine to a smooth batter, then pour the batter into the prepared tin. Bake the cake for 40 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean, then remove the cake from the oven and transfer it to a wire rack to cool in the tin. Once the cake is cool, release it from the tin and transfer it to a large plate.
To make the syrup, stir the orange juice and honey together in a small saucepan. Place the pan over a medium-low heat and bring the ingredients to a simmer, stirring to fully combine. Immediately remove the syrup from the heat. Using a fine skewer, prick a few holes into the top of the cake and pour the honey-orange syrup over the top. Sprinkle on the orange zest and nuts to decorate.
What worked: It was... okay. Quite filling, which makes sense with the polenta and nuts. It went well with tea.
What didn't: The recipe said the cake would be "syrupy and nutty, moist and juicy." I expected an almost pudding-like texture (judging from past olive oil cakes) with a baklava-like sweetness - but it was definitely not that. Of the four adjectives I can say it was, indeed, nutty. Not syrupy, or moist, or juicy at all; it was somewhat dry, exacerbated by the crunchy polenta. The cake was overly-browned at the end of its baking time but at least didn't taste scorched (except a couple edge bits).
Will I make it again? No. I would recommend using pistachio flour (if such a thing exists) and a very fine grind of polenta for less crunch. But while it wasn't a totally failed cake, I wouldn't call it a successful recipe.
I subsequently made the successful olive oil cake as compensation, and it was good as usual, although I still didn't get much orange flavor. The wife suggested very lightly sprinkling the top with ascorbic acid for zing - not a bad idea.